The present study aimed to identify and explore the self-development competencies of elementary school teachers in Karaj. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach. The participants were elementary school teachers in Karaj who were selected through criterion-based purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached.Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 elementary school teachers in Karaj. The data were analyzed through coding and the aggregation of meaning units into concepts, subthemes, and main themes. To enhance the credibility of the findings, member checking and expert review of the findings were employed.

Findings: The findings showed that teachers’ self-development competencies could be explained through five main components: self-monitoring skills and professional self-awareness; leadership and management of the teaching–learning process; networking and collaborative professional learning; self-directed growth and empowerment; and development-oriented personal–professional attitudes and characteristics.The results showed that teachers’ professional self-development is a dynamic, continuous, and self-directed process that develops and continues within the context of professional experiences and through teacher agency. Accordingly, professional self-development cannot be limited to participation in formal professional development courses; rather, it requires teachers to actively assume responsibility for their own continuous growth and learning and to apply what they learn in their professional practice.